What you need to know about your pelvic floor...

Hi all, Mark here again from Alltone Fitness personal training studio and BNG Boot Camp Greensborough.

Did you know that a large number of exercises can negatively affect your pelvic floor, and some of these can actually harm these muscles? This can lead into bladder or bowel control problems. This is very common amongst men and women however most people are too embarrassed to talk about it or believe as we age that it is normal. Well it's not, and fixing this problem could be as easy as strengthening your pelvic floor. Women on average suffer more than men, with one in three who have ever had a baby experiencing urinary incontinence. Over half the people with bladder problems don't seek help from a health care professional.

The pelvic floor muscles form the base of the group of core muscles known as the core. The pelvic floor work with these deep core and lower back muscles along with the diaphragm, to stabilise and support the spine as they maintain pressure within the abdomen. The pelvic floor muscles support the bladder and bowel in men, and the bladder, bowel and uterus in women.

People who are more at risk of pelvic floor problems are, pregnant women, women who have had a baby, women who are going through or gone through menopause. For men, any surgery undergone for prostate cancer can make them more at risk. Other factors that put people at risk include those with a history of lower
back pain, an injury to the pelvic region, suffer regular constipation, being overweight or regular heavy lifting. Individuals with pelvic floor problems can experience the following symptoms, leaking urine when they exercise, constantly needing to go to the toilet. finding it difficult to empty their bladder or bowel, pain in their pelvic area and accidently losing control of their bowel.

Safe cardio and resistance exercises for the pelvic floor.

Certain exercises place greater stress on the pelvic floor and should be avoided. There are a number of safe exercises which can be performed and are considered safe without placing excessive downward pressure on the pelvic floor.

Safe cardio exercises:
Walking, swimming, upright bike, cross trainer, low intensity water aerobics, low impact exercise classes.

Cardio exercises to avoid:
Running, jumping, star jumps, skipping, boxing, high impact exercise classes, sports that involve stop start running or sudden direction changes.

Safe resistance exercises:
Seated exercises like rows and shoulder press. Bicep curls and knee extensions. Dumbbell exercises on a swiss ball, partial swiss ball squats, glute bridge, cable flys, leg curls, incline wall pushups.

Resistance exercises to avoid:
Sit ups, crunches, leg raises, deep lunges, deep squats, jump squats, lifting heavy weights, lat pull down with heavy weights, leg press with heavy weights, deadlifts and any exercise where there is downward pressure on the pelvic floor.

How to train your pelvic floor. 
A method of training your pelvic floor muscles is to relax the muscles of the thighs, glutes and abs, then squeeze the muscle of your front passage like you are stopping the flow of urine. Now squeeze in the muscle around your back passage as if you are trying to stop passing wind. You should now feel the muscle in between your front and back passage lift up towards your pelvis. Become familiar with the feeling of those muscles activating before relaxing and letting go. This exercise is best performed sitting on the edge of a chair slightly leaning forward at the hips. It can also be performed standing or lying down. Aim to perform 3 sets of 8 repetitions.

If this is a problem for you please feel free to reach out as we can help construct an exercise program to help strengthen your pelvic floor. At Alltone Fitness we offer personal training in the Greensborough, Bundoora, Mill Park and Watsonia area. We also run boot camps and group fitness at the most affordable prices in Greensborough.

A Quick 101 Class On Nutrients

A Quick 101 Class On Nutrients  By Mark Frangiosa 

Hi all, Mark here from Alltone Fitness and BNG Fitness Boot camp. This week’s blog covers the important role nutrients play in our daily lives and why it is important to consume to right amount of nutrients. Lacking in certain nutrients can affect our exercise output thus stalling progress.

The science of nutrition involves studying nutrients in foods and the body’s handling of them. Even though nutrition is a relatively young science, we already know what nutrients are needed for an adequate diet and what foods provide them.

Nutrients are substances obtained from food that promote growth, maintenance and repair in our body. Below are the six classes of nutrients found in food. 

Carbohydrates – Protein – Fat   (These three nutrients provide us with energy to function and the                                                            ones I will be covering today)

Vitamins – Minerals – Water

1 gram of Carbohydrates equals to 4 cals

1 gram of Protein equals to 4 cals

1 gram of Fat equals to 9 cals.

CARBOHYDRATES

We store carbs as glycogen in our liver, this provides us with the most readily available source of energy. Glycogen assists in maintaining blood sugars and in muscles for use during rest and physical activity. Due to these energy stores being relatively limited we must consume the right type of carbs in sufficient quantities on a daily basis. Carbs are composed of three molecules being carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They are found in many different forms such as sucrose, lactose and glucose just to name a few.

Quick overview: Carbs and Exercise

Glucose is the most readily available source of fuel for exercising.

Exercise reduces muscle and liver glycogen that’s why active people need an adequate carb intake to maintain and boost glycogen stores.

Stores must be continually refilled from dietary carbohydrates

PROTEIN  

Proteins are water soluble molecules that are made up of 20 amino acids and are like the body’s building blocks. Eight of the 20 amino acids are essential as they cannot be made in the human body so they must be consumed in our diet.  The functions of protein in our diet are many, we need it for the transport of lipoproteins and hemoglobin, protection against antibodies and blood clotting, it carries nutrients across cell membranes, maintains water balance, the growth and maintenance of cells and tissues and acts as an energy source.

We obtain protein from both animal and plant sources. Protein from animal sources are referred as complete proteins because it contains all the essential amino acids. Protein from plant sources usually

lack one or more essential amino acids, although when one or more plant sources are combined they can become complete sources. General recommended protein intake for active people who exercise regularly are 1.2 – 1.8 grams per kilo of bodyweight

Quick overview: Protein and Exercise

Protein is important for muscle growth and repair.

High protein intake assists muscle growth only if training is adequate.

DIETARY FAT.

Fat provides the body’s major store of energy. It is a molecule also composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen that is a sub category of compounds called lipids. Apart from providing energy, fat also has many other functions in the body. It assists in supplying the body essential fatty acids, it provides insulation and protection for structures and organs and the absorption and supply of fat soluble vitamin. The types of fatty acids are, Saturated, Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated and Trans Fatty Acids.

Saturated fats are generally animal fats, solid at room temp (lard, butter ). 

Monounsaturated  fats can be summarized as liquid or semi solid at room temp, they appear to decrease the risk of heart disease. Sources include nuts and seeds, avocado and olive oil.

Polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and sources include plants, fish, grains and cereals.

So there you go. I hope that has been informative and shed some light on the different types of nutrients and the role they play in our bodies. Apart from maintaining a balanced diet with adequate nutrients we should also take part in regular physical activity such as boot camp Greensborough, or outdoor group personal training to live a long and happy life.

Take care – Mark Alltone Fitness& BNGBoot Camp Bundoora, Mill park and Watsonia. 

VO2 Max And Everything You Need To Know About It

Hi all,

Mark here from Alltone Fitness and BNG Boot Camp & group fitness bundoora. In this week's blog I will be discussing what is VO2 Max and ways on improving it . VO2 max has been defined as "the highest rate of oxygen consumption attainable during maximal or strenuous exercise". Basically it is a measure of cardiovascular fitness.

As exercise intensity increases so does oxygen consumption. However, a point is reached where exercise intensity can continue to increase without the rise in oxygen consumption. Once we reach the point at which oxygen consumption plateaus we then can define this as an individual's VO2 max or their maximal aerobic capacity. Aerobic power, aerobic capacity and maximal oxygen uptake are all terms used interchangeably with VO2 max. It is usually written measured in millilitres of oxygen per kilo of bodyweight per minute: ml/kg/min. It is mostly shown relative to body weight because oxygen and energy needs differ relative to size.

Training for 30 minutes, 3 times a week over 6 months at 75% of aerobic power can increase VO2 max an average of 15-20% , Recent research suggests that genetics plays a role in how well any one individual responds to cardiovascular endurance training and weight loss. This is why we often can see bigger differences in VO2 max training amongst beginners of the same age and fitness levels.

The extent of which VO2 max can improve with fitness training also depends on the person's starting point. The fitter an individual is to start with, the less potential there is for an increase as they have most likely hit their upper limit earlier on. Resistance training has little effect on VO2 max. even when short rest's are used between sets and exercises.

A large amount of cardiovascular fitness training is needed to reach our upper limit for VO2 max. However, much less is required to maintain it. Runners and swimmers have reduced training volumes by 60% for a period of 15-21 days prior to competition with no reduction in their VO2 max.


We can determine our VO2 max through a number of physical evaluations. These tests can be direct or indirect. Direct testing requires much more sophisticated equipment which is why indirect testing is more widely used in fitness centres. Some are more reliable and accurate than others though none of the indirect methods have the accuracy of direct testing. Some indirect tests to determine VO2 max are the beep test, bike test, ( bike needs to have a test function for this) 2km row test or 12 min treadmill run.

VO2 max decreases with age. The average rate of decline is usually around 1% after the age of 25.
The decline in age-related VO2 max usually can be accounted for by a reduction in maximum heart rate. Some fantastic aerobic exercise exercise to help increase your VO2 max are, bike riding, jogging, swimming or rowing. Remember though, you don't want to spend countless hours riding, running or swimming. 15-20 min of HIIT aerobic training with a ratio of 1:4 or 1:3 would be the way to go! If you have any further questions in regards to today's blog you can email me at info@alltonefitness.com.au

Mark - Alltone Fitness Personal Training 

6 Ways To Help You Keep Your New Years Resolutions

At some point we have all made new year's resolutions and broken them. We often set unrealistic goals or pressure on ourselves to eat healthier, losing weight, become fitter, stress less and the list goes on and on. Is it that we place time restraints on these goals that we failure? Or is it just becuase we actually don't take the time to think about what it actually is that we want out of life? It is important to remember that one minor set back is not a total write off.
Why not make this year's resolutions stick.
Here are my top 6 ways to help you keep on track.

1. BE REALISTIC

Don't set a goal that is unrealistic or you cannot keep. For example, telling yourself  you are never going to eat your favorite food again is setting you up for failure. Try changing your goal to - I will only eat my favorite food once per month.

2. PLAN AHEAD

People who plan their resolutions on New Year Eve or mid way through January are more likely not stick to their goals. Don't plan your resolutions on new year's eve after a few drinks. Planning ahead is crucial and gives you time to reflect back on your year while thinking about the direction you would like to take in the year to come.

3. OUTLINE YOUR ACTION PLAN

Being realistic means knowing that their will be temptations to skip that boot camp class or cancel your personal training session. Have a action plan in place for those times you feel like giving up. Call a friend for motivation, practise positive thinking, or simply tell yourself the negative effects this will have on your goals.

4. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

Keep track at each small success milestone. Whether its through weight loss, being able to run that extra distance, lifting more weight in the gym. Tracking your progress is a sure way to keep you motivated and successful in conquering your resolutions.

5. DON'T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF.

Tell yourself the occasional slip up is not the end of the world. Obsessing over slipping up will do no good for achieving your goals. This is where some positive self talk can do wonders. Create a mantra that is short and sharp like " I CAN DO THIS " ONE SLIP UP IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD" I WILL GET BACK ON TRACK"

6. SEEK HELP FROM A PROFESSIONAL

If losing weight or becoming fitter is your goal, then join a outdoor group personal training session, gym, or book in with a personal trainer. Having the guidance of a fitness professional who will push you that little further can mean the difference between success or failure.

HERE'S TO A FIT AND HEALTHY 2016! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Foam Rolling vs. Stretching

Hi all, 

Mark here from Alltone Fitness personal training bundoora and BNG boot camp bundoora. Christmas is almost here. Hooray, I hear you say!  This time of year brings many social gatherings, work deadlines, christmas parties and so on. Being such a stressful and busy time of the year means we usually put our health and fitness on the back burner while consuming too much alcohol and nasty christmas calories. It's extremely vital to keep up with exercising this time of the year. Stay on top of your nutrition, plan your week ahead and factor in any days which you may be heading out for a not so healthy meal. Alltone Group fitness Greensborough & and BNG boot camp Reservoir will assist you with fat loss, gaining muscle strength and increasing cardiovascular fitness. Don't be one of these people that wait until the new year comes around only to realise that your 5 kg heavier than you were pre christmas. 

Today's blog was taken from the dailyburn website and written by Amanda Woerner. It tackles the topic of stretching vs foam rolling and the differences between the two. In my group personal training bundoora classes I'm often asked the difference between the two and which is more beneficial. I hope the following article provides you with some answers. Enjoy! 



 Written by Amanda Woerner - Dailyburn August 2015

You know you’re supposed to be foam rolling and stretching your muscles, to keep your body strong and healthy. But what if you can barely squeeze in your workouts in the first place — let alone 10 extra minutes at the beginning and end of each session?

Before you give up on your recovery routine entirely, we’re about to make it easier for you to manage. While both foam rolling and stretching have their merits, if you’ve only got time for one, you should grab your trusty foam roller, says DailyBurn Fitness/Nutrition Coach Sarah Snyder. “Foam rolling gives you all the same benefits of stretching as, well as added benefits,” she says.

Here’s why foam rolling comes out on top and how to do it right.

Foam Rolling vs. Stretching: Before and After Your Workouts

No matter how eager you are to start (or…finish) your workout, it’s important to resist the urge to jump straight in without warming up your muscles, Snyder notes. But, we’re officially giving you permission to scrap the minute-long hamstring holds you’ve been doing pre-run.

“When you’re stretching a cold muscle, your body goes into defensive mode, and what happens is your workout performance is hindered,” Snyder says. Static stretches can essentially “freeze up” your muscles, preventing you from getting a full range of motion when you’re on the move, and potentially leading to injury.

That’s why foam rolling before a workout can be a better use of your time. “The techniques you have to use for foam rolling help engage your muscles, so you’re already doing a little bit of exercising when you’re warming up with foam rolling,” Snyder says. Bonus points if you can add some dynamic movements to your warm-up as well.

After a workout, it may be tempting to collapse into a sweaty heap. But your body can reap real benefits from taking a few minutes to relieve the tension built up in your muscles. And while static stretches post-workout may help lengthen muscle and improve flexibility, foam rolling does all this and more by also targeting and relieving tension in the myofascial layer of your body. “Stretching doesn’t get the myofascial layer, the connective tissue that is protecting all of your muscles,” Snyder says. “With foam rolling, you’re able to break up some of the tension there that has built up.”

How to Foam Roll

While you’ve probably been stretching since sixth grade gym class, foam rolling is new to many people. But a few simple techniques will help make sure you’re rolling right, Snyder says.

Relax. “Sometimes, when you’re going over some of those areas that are tender, you tend to tense up,” Snyder says. “Try to relax.” As you’re foam rolling, concentrate on keeping your shoulders pulled away from your ears. Reminding yourself to inhale and exhale while you roll will also help ensure your muscles stay loose, too.

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Engage your core. As with any other exercise, you’ll want to keep your core tight and engaged while foam rolling, Snyder says. This will help ensure your hips aren’t sagging and throwing your alignment out of whack.

Pay attention to pain. We’re not going to lie; foam rolling doesn’t always feel great. After all, it’s not easy to work out kinks in your muscles. (Ever gotten a deep tissue massage? Ouch.) But if you ever start to feel serious pain, it’s time to stop, as you can make an already-aggravated area worse. “Another tip is to make sure you don’t roll over your joints or bones,” Snyder says, noting that putting undue pressure on your joints could cause injury.

Roll slow. You only want to move about one inch per second while you’re using this recovery tool, Snyder says. Aim to spend about one to two minutes targeting each muscle group, rolling fully up and down the length of the muscle about four times.

The bottom line: “After a workout, in an ideal situation, if you did foam rolling and stretching that would be great,” Snyder says. But if you’re short on time, scrap the stretching and dedicate yourself to your foam roller instead.

Great article and really worth noting the benefits and importance of foam rolling before and after your workout. 

Mark, Vanessa, Bronnie and John form Alltone Fitness and BNG Boot Camp northern suburbs would like to wish you a Merry Christmas! 

Back to Basics - Chapter 3 Exercise Instruction Written by Mark Frangiosa

Hi all,

In this week's blog I will be going over and instructing proper technique on the following exercises:

1. Barbell Squats,  

2. Barbell Deadlifts 

3 Plank

4. Seated Rows.

If performed correctly these exercises are fantastic for strength and conditioning, gaining greater functional strength and improving your posture. If performed incorrectly we put ourselves at risk of injury along with adopting more lifting patterns. One of the main reason's I decided to write this blog on exercise instruction is due to the constant witnessing of poor technique I see on a daily basis. Whether it's in the gym, at boot camp reservoir or in a personal training reservoir session. The risk we place our body's under each time to perform an exercise without engaging our core, maintaining neutral spine etc,  can have a profound impact on the way we move and function on a daily basis. I hope you find find the following exercise instructions useful and hopefully assist you with improving your technique. 

Barbell Squats 

Set Up point: 

• Feet shoulder width apart 
• Toes turned out slightly 
• Neutral Spine posture 
• Bar Across upper traps 
• Keep upper back tight (retract shoulder blades)

Movement Points: 

• Head and chest up 
• Hips move out and down
• Keep your heels down
• As you descend screw your feet into the floor
• Ankle / knees / hips in alignment 
• Descend down to the floor keeping a neutral spine and chest up

Common Errors:

• Heel lifting off the floor
• Knees travelling excessively forward over toes
• Head and chest dropping 
• Knees buckling inwards on the descend
• Losing your neutral spine ( rounding of the thoracic spine) 

Barbell Deadlift 

Set- up Points: 

• Take all the slack out of the system (engage glutes and core before setting up for the deadlift)
• Feet around hip to shoulder width apart 
• Bar close to the shins 
• Feet screwed into floor
• Core tight
• Shoulder blades retracted and pointed down 

Movement Points: 

• Driving feet through the floor commence lifting the bar letting the hips and knees extend at the same time.
• Bar remains close to the shins
• Heels down into the ground
• Shoulders remain over the bar 
• Stand nice and tall at lock out
• Lower the bar to the floor keeping it close to the shins and maintain a neutral spine until the bar lightly touches the ground  

Common Errors: 

• Poor posture at starting position of movement, lower back rounded.
• Bar too far out in front of feet 
• Shoulders not over the bar
• Hip extending faster than the kness
• Rounding the back at any stage of the lift
• Bending arms to help pull the bar up

PLANK

Set up:

• Arms bent at 90 degrees with elbows directly beneath shoulders. 
• Feet hip width apart.
• Neutral spine posture 

Movement Points: 

• Brace Core pulling your belly button into your spine 
• Keep glutes engaged the entire time 
• Focus on your breathing.
• Keep a neutral spine 

Common Errors: 

• Hips in the air
• Hips and lumbar spine sagging 
• Head not in neutral alignment  (looking up or down )
• Disengaging glutes and core

Seated Rows 

Set- up Points:

• Feet on plate, knees slightly bent 
• Arms fully straight 
• Neutral spine posture 

Movement Points:

• Commence movement by pulling the handles towards you stomach 
• Keep the elbows close to your sides
• Finish with elbows pulled in line with your torso and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
• Keep your torso in an upright position. 
• Return the handle to the start position without leaning forward from the lumbar spine.

Common Errors:

• Leaning forward form your lumbar spine 
• Pulling the handles into your chest while shrugging your shoulders.
• Not finishing the pull with your shoulder blades fully retracted. 

So there you have it, I hope that was helpful, and possibly pointed out any common faults you may be guilty of. Next time you are in the gym bundoora or out doing your boot camp greensborough try and remain mindful of these key teaching points.

Mark - Alltone Fitness Personal Training Greenborough & BNG Boot Camp Reservoir, Greensborough, Mill Park, Bundoora 

Back to Basics Chapter 2 - ENERGY SYSTEMS

Hi all

Mark here from Alltone Fitness and BNG Boot Camp Reservoir. With Summer literally around the corner, now is the perfect time to try group personal training bundoora or our personal training mill park. Your first session is only $5 with no contracts or membership fee's. If group fitness bundoora is more for you then try out our heart pumping boot camp northern suburbs for only $2, hurry as spots are limited.

Chapter 2 of our back to basics blog series covers the energy systems of the human body. All human activity from running to sleeping requires energy. The food we eat provides us with the fuel we need to carry out daily activities we participate in. Fats, carbs and proteins are broken down in the body and converted into energy. The breakdown of food to produce energy can occur under two conditions. ANAEROBIC: Without sufficient oxygen present or  AEROBIC: With sufficient oxygen present.

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is the basic unit of energy in the body. ATP is energy which has been created in the muscle cell and is the fuel for muscular contractions. As ATP is constantly being used, it needs to continually be produced and resynthesised.There are only limited amounts of ATP stored in muscles, once this store is used up other energy systems must produce ATP. This is acheived via three main energy systems which brings us to the next energy system ready to help out.

Adenosine Triphosphate - Creatine Phosphate (ATP-CP)
Named afetr the two energy molecules involved in the system - ATP-CP. Creatine Phosphate is stored in muscles in small amounts, its role is to provide energy for ATP resynthesis in muscle cells when there isn't enough time to break down fuels such as glucose. There is no oxygen required in this system so it doesn't require a complex series of reactions. This is an important energy sysytem for exercises or sports which involve explosive and high intensity movements such as sprinting and pure strength training. This energy system is only available in short periods of time, usually around 0-10 seconds of max effort. Once this all out effort is to continue for more than 10 seconds then an additional source of energy must be found. This takes  us to the next energy system.

Lactic Acid System.
After creatine phosphate runs out and energy is still required to continue at high intensity, ATP can be supplied via the breakdown of carbs being glucose. This process is called anaerobic glycolysis, this is the breakdown of glycogen to glucose and produces lactic acid as a by product. All the cabs we consume are broken down to glucose, this glucose can be stored in the muscle cells and the liver in the form of glycogen. The lactic acid system energy system can sustain the anaerobic generation of ATP FOR 45-60 seconds at around 90% intensity. If a person is wanting to continue exercising beyond this point they can do so with use of the aerobic energy system.

Aerobic Energy System
This an extremely important energy system because we use it for everyday living. It is the system we use for everyday activities like walking.  Its called the aerobic system as it produces energy in the presence of oxygen. As the duration of exercise increases the muscles use more amounts of oxygen and produce carbon dioxide and water as by products. The breakdown of glucose in the presence of oxygen is called aerobic glycolysis The complete aerobic breakdown of 1 glucose molecule is able to produce a total of 36 ATP molecules.

 So next time your in the gym and feel the fatigue set in, remember that your body is going through a complex process while drawing upon different energy systems in order for you to keep working hard.

I hope you found this informative and useful

Mark - Alltone Fitness www.alltonefitness.com.au